


Reunion

by pallidvixen



Category: Half Life Trilogy - Sally Green
Genre: Animal Nathan, Black Witches, Camping, Fains, Gen, Half Bad - Freeform, Half Wild, M/M, The Alliance - Freeform, White Witches, animal!nathan, nabriel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 06:37:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3926590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pallidvixen/pseuds/pallidvixen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nathan waits for Gabriel again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place immediately after the end of _Half Wild_. Spoilers for the events of _Half Wild_.

You wake up suddenly hearing a noise to your left. The animal adrenaline floods your system and you shift easily, not even sure what sort of animal you are. 

_you freeze, listening for whatever is near by, whatever may be a threat. a deer steps forward. about thirty human paces away. no distance at all for animal you. suddenly you are hungry. so hungry. the deer bends down to nibble at a patch of grass. you are hungry, both of you. you want the same thing. the deer stills for a moment and then you pounce. there wasn’t even a chase. the animal you is almost disappointed, but satisfied the moment the blood fills your mouth. the warm liquid gets all over your mouth, your paws, your chest. the meat is good. you eat your fill and then run and run and run._

_it feels good to move through the forest. you can’t sense anyone near by. no people. it’s quiet. peaceful. you know this can’t last though. you won’t be able to navigate as an animal. you need to get back. you told gabriel you would meet him. you know he will be waiting. you move through the forest running back to where you first woke up and shift back._

You put your clothes on. You don’t really get cold. You are used to it, but it seems like a good thing to do. You need to get back. How long were you asleep? You have no idea. It’s the late afternoon here. Where will the others have gone? You know where Gabriel will be. If he’s not there now he will be. You hope he and the others got out. It will be too dangerous to go back to the cut. With a start you realize you can make them now. Marcus made the cuts. It was one of his Gifts. 

You have no idea what you are doing. How do you make a cut? Your Gift connects you with nature. Being an animal. What does this Gift connect you with? You concentrate, thinking about Switzerland, remembering the forest near the cave. The trees, the stream, the way the sky looks. You raise your left hand and stab forward into midair. You feel something catch. You take a deep breath and plunge forward. 

*** 

It takes two hours of hiking but I arrive at the cave. Gabriel isn’t here. I’ve been here before. I will wait for him again. Just as the last time, I know if he’s alive he will come for me. I think about Gabriel shielding me with his body as bullets rained around us. The blood on my father’s chest blooming more brightly, seeping, spreading onto his shirt. 

I remember my father saying he would carve his name in Connor’s back. I doubt that is all he would have done. I know he would have killed him sooner or later. It just turned out to be sooner. Because Connor was a fucking idiot. Why couldn’t he have just stayed down? Was he trying to get to Annalise? I run over the scene in my mind again and again, watching as my father stabbed Connor in the throat. Watching him fall to his knees after Annalise shot him twice. The blood. 

I crawl into the cave trying to stop myself from replaying my father’s death. I feel the adrenaline spiking through me. It’s easier to be an animal right now. I shift. 

_i’m not sure how much time has past but i know it’s been days. i hear something. i creep forward keeping low to the ground. it’s dark. i know i am hidden. i catch a scent. pure, clean water, fresh grass and metal. someone approaches the mouth of the cave. gabriel. he is saying something but they are just garbled words. we don’t understand. he holds out both his hands. i approach him slowly and sniff the air. then we shift back._

I stand up from a crouch and look at him. Gabriel runs his eyes over me. I know I’m naked. And still covered in blood. Even more blood from the deer and whatever else I’ve eaten since we’ve been separated. I step towards him. He seems to take that as an invitation and steps forward too. He looks like he is holding himself back. I think he wants to touch me. I pull him forward and hold him to me. We stay like that for a few minutes. When I pull back I see tear tracks on his cheeks. 

“You’re okay.” He wipes the tears away and focuses on my eyes. 

I look into his imaging what he must see. “Yes.” I see gold flashing in his eyes. I look down at myself. The blood is dry and flaking off me. 

“Where is everyone else?” 

“At Mercury’s. It’s the new Alliance base.” 

I laugh. “Is there still an Alliance? How many are left?” 

“Not many.” 

I think of Marcus. My father is gone. I freeze for a moment, wondering who else was lost. 

Gabriel can tell what I’m thinking. “Arran is alive.” 

I let out a breath. 

“Come.” He grabs my arm and leads me out of the cave and over to a stream. 

The water is freezing but no worse than what I’m used to. I sink down into the water letting it wash over me. 

Gabriel disappears for a moment and returns with my clothes. He washes them out, smashing them on the rocks. The stream is turning a muddy-red-brown. 

I scrub at my skin with hands. I’m cold, covered in gooseflesh. 

Gabriel wrings out my clothing and lays it out to dry on some rocks. Then he reaches into a backpack I didn’t notice him wearing and pulls out a towel for me. 

When I’m finished I take the offered towel and dry myself. He hands me dry clothing as well. I wonder if he has brought these just for me or if they are his clothes. We are about the same size. Gabriel is more slender, but still lean and muscular. We walk back to the cave. 

I start a small fire. He pulls out some dried meats and some fruit. I observe him. 

“You’re tired.” 

“Aren’t you?” Gabriel is slicing up an apple. 

I don’t know what I feel. 

“We can stay the night.” 

He nods focusing on the fruit. “Yes.” Gabriel hands me a slice. It is crisp and cool. 

We both crouch closer to the fire trying to get warm. The cave is dry and not too drafty which is good. I eat the dried meat. Fresh meat tastes better. I never thought I would enjoy the taste of raw meat before, but animal me prefers it. I’m not sure which one human me prefers yet. 

We finish eating. Gabriel goes to the check my things. The towel is drying outside along with my clothes. It is too dangerous to keep a fire going. We could be spotted. I am still cold but the food and fire are helping. I never really felt the cold when I was in my cage. Maybe I didn’t allow myself to. I wonder if Gabriel’s witch body is more used to the cold now, being outdoors. Fains and Whites get cold easily. Whites don’t feel the pull to be outside, but I know he does now that he’s back in his Black witch body. Gabriel returns pulling out a small blanket and lies down facing away from the mouth of the cave. 

I stamp out the fire and lie down about a foot in front of him facing the other way, back-to-back. I want to watch the entrance to the cave. Gabriel settles closer to me. He drapes the blanket over both of us. It helps. I can feel his body heat. My body is finally relaxing. I want to keep watch a little longer though. I focus on the sound of Gabriel breathing steadily behind me. I hear when he falls asleep, the pattern of his breathing becoming slower, deeper. When I know he’s asleep, I move slightly closer to him. I know he has my back. 

He was right about her, but I don’t want to think about that now. As I fall asleep I try to think of nothing at all.

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written anything in first or second person before, but I wanted to try to stay true to the style of the books. 
> 
> If you want to fangirl out with me about the Half Life series I'm [pallidvixen](http://pallidvixen.tumblr.com/) on tumblr.
> 
> Update: I wrote a sort of sequel [Back to the Bunker](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4123104).


End file.
